I purchased an electric car conversion guide. I have also acquired the perfect automobile for my first electric vehicle conversion for under $200. This leaves me cash for batteries and a strong electric motor, two expensive areas.
I am excited about it and I think this is a great project for the more experienced Diy mechanics that visit this website. Before I dig into the details I wanted to tell you what started this project. I live in the southeastern United States.
A couple of months after Katrina hit it was hard to find gas stations that actually had fuel to pump. We were told by the local news that refineries shutting down along the Gulf Coast caused this disruption of service. And even though supply had returned to normal the prices continued to fluctuate wildly. Some gas stations where charged with fraud.
This is what led me to buy the electric car conversion guide. The book was put together by a family that actually lives completely off the grid and builds and drives these converted cars and trucks.
I received permission from Les and Jane to provide a sample of this book they give away on their living off grid site. Here is a link to the free sample of the electric car conversion guide. You can left click on the link and it will open in a new window in PDF format.
You can then save a copy by clicking file in the upper left-hand corner and then choosing save as. You can also right-click on the link and choose save target as, and it will download directly to your computer.
The free sample book about electric car converting is only 12 pages. But does include the table of contents so you can see what is covered in the full conversion guide that is available from the last page.
My Electric Car Conversion Project
After reading the how to build an electric car guide I learned that the first step is also the most important. The vehicle to be converted determines the complexity of the project.
If you choose a automobile that has been converted by other people. You will find a lot of support in the form of information and also ready to put together electric car conversion kits for specific models.
A list of preferred vehicles is included in the full guide. Another important factor in your choice of vehicles is that they must be able to carry and support the weight of the batteries. Also bear in mind that when you purchase your vehicle to be converted that you will be removing the gas engine completely. So it is wise to find a nice car with a blown engine.
This is exactly what I have found. This 1987 Toyota pickup is the perfect candidate for an electric truck conversion. If your are looking at small pickups from the 80’s make sure that the frame or sub-frame is not rusted out so it can carry the battery load.
The good thing is the small truck has a five speed manual transmission. A manual transmission is required for a successful conversion. The large DC electric motor will connect directly to the manual transmission via a coupler. Also the manual transmission option will provide a top speed of over 50mph so you can drive it on the highway.
Electric Car Converting is Not For Everyone
Let me be straight forward and honest with you about the work behind this project. It is not for the casual hobbyist. You have to remove the engine, fuel system and exhaust system from the vehicle to be converted.
You will need the tools and the space required to perform these tasks. I decided to offer the sample copy of the EV conversion guide above and some links to books on the subject so you could make your own decision. It is not easy to complete this project.
I would hate for you to start and have to quit half way through the electric vehicle conversion. On a happier note one of the more interesting things about the guide I read was that the family that put it together found ways to reduce the cost of the conversion. These people live on a tight budget and spend wisely.
The manual includes a lot of tricks and resources to locate parts for free or at a reduced cost. Another important section includes how to recondition dead batteries and restore them to full operation saving a lot of money on battery purchase.
If you take a look on the Internet, a converted electric vehicle is selling anywhere from $4,000-$10,000. Again, this is why the choice of the vehicle is the most important step. If you become an expert at converting specific vehicles there’s a chance that you could continue to convert them for a profit.
A large expense associated with converting a car to electric is the purchase of batteries. At the time of this writing and the near future Lithium batteries are expensive (my opinion).
This means heavy and large lead acid types is what to look for. Golf carts or construction equipment are some of the places to look for used ones. A good companion guide is available about reconditioning batteries. Not only can this provide batteries for yourself but you can help others by providing re-manufactured units.
A side benefit of reconditioning batteries is it’s environmentally friendly. You can visit the people who are experts at converting old batteries and turned it into a full time job by .
This next link takes you back to my free guide to the car repair business. This is a book I wrote about two years ago. I am now giving it away to visitors as a thank you for stopping by the website. I hope you get some value out of this free auto repair guide. Interested in learning more about electric car conversions. This is a great website that provides fantastic information about new electric cars. The most popular section of this do it yourself auto repair website has been the video section. Here you can choose from many short clips that provide information for people interested in fixing cars or just learning more about automobiles. Visit the page with the auto repair videos. Learn more about electric car conversion and the auto mechanic that built this automobile website. Also discover what else is available here for visitors. This next link takes you back to the homepage where you can also find diy auto repair help.